Real or not real
by Kyra-sensei
Summary: I knew in that moment that I had everything I needed. One-shot.


**Authors note: This is a one-shot story dedicated to page 388 of Mockingjay. I feel as though that ending needed more and so that's what I'm writing. Enjoy!**

**I don't own the Hunger games.**

**You love me**

I woke with a scream after dreaming a horrible dream that consisted seeing Prim being blown up in front of my eyes. Peeta – unsurprisingly is there to comfort me in my sorrows – holds me close, but says nothing. Just him being there is reassurance enough that I am safe with him. I have been through horrible things, but so has he and being with someone that understands that indescribable pain helps a little. I could talk to him about it if I want to, but I don't want to. I don't like reopening the wounds by talking about it. The nightmares are bad enough.

I couldn't begin to explain how much I miss Prim and Gale. I miss my mother too as well as Finnick. I feel really sorry for Annie and her son. Her son will grow up not having met his father and knowing how great a person he was. I even miss Boggs. I had become fond of him. I tried not to think of these things. I move in to Peeta and his arms tighten around me. My head rests against his warm chest and I am lost in his sweet scent. I enjoy the feeling of his strong arms around me, but I feel unworthy to be in them especially as much as I am.

We lay there in silence for quite awhile. I don't want to close my eyes again because I know what awaits me in the darkness of them. Even though I know that Peeta will be there to comfort me, the reassurance isn't enough to make me close my eyes out of will. I usually fall asleep when I can not longer keep my eyes open. I don't get a lot of sleep and neither does Peeta, but we seem to manage.

He takes a deep breath and exhales on my neck. I get tingles a long my spine. I listen to the beating of his heart and find it calm and collected. I always admired how calm he was and sometimes wondered how he could be so calm. Even after what the Capitol did to him, the torture and the tracker jacker venom. At times I can't believe they would turn him against me like that. I'm just glad I have him back, mostly of course. I think that he won't really ever be the same, but we could get pretty close.

I look up at him and he looks down at me. Even in the dark I can see his light eyes very clearly. I find myself mesmerized by them a lot of the time. They had such a unique beauty to them. Peeta wouldn't be the same if his eyes changed colours. He gently caresses my lips with his and brings his hand up to stroke my cheek. His hand trails over my face and I close my eyes to the wonderful sensation.

As his artistic fingers follow the features on my face I consider how bad my life would be without him. Peeta is the brightest flame that allows my survival and the only thing keeping me from insanity. How bad is my life really if he is in it? Sure it's pretty bad, very bad, but not as bad as it would be without him. He is my blessing. I always thought that Gale and I would get married, but that was before the Hunger games happened. The 74th annual hunger games changed everything and the 75th changed things even more. I'm not the same 16 year old girl I was back then. Gale isn't the same and neither is Peeta. No one is. Even Haymitch.

"You love me. Real or not?" He whispers in the dark. I didn't even need to consider it. I knew the answer.

"Real."

A smile forms on both our lips and feel relieved to have told him. I'd considered it a lot and waited for the moment it would come out, and this moment seemed to be the one. He kisses my lips and I get that same feeling I did on the beach. I have never felt this way about anyone before and I would never get used to the feeling of butterflies in my stomach every time he kisses him. It felt like I was floating, that gravity no longer applied to me. It felt wonderful.

I knew that at that moment, even with all the things I had lost, I had the one thing I truly needed.

**Authors note: And there you have it. Please review and tell me what you think.**


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